In the Song Dynasty, there was no law or order.

From the people, to the people, this is not empty talk.

At least Zhao Jun doesn't think so.

Some people may think that this is just a slogan, what does it have to do with my three thousand yuan a month?

But what needs to be considered is that your monthly salary of 3,000 is because your ability can only be so. It does not mean that the country is not working hard to benefit the people and provide security for all citizens.

Because this must be the case whether starting from idealism or realism.

The first is idealism.

Zhao Jun has ideals, so he must consider the people.

Only by allowing all the people of the Song Dynasty to have enough to eat, enough clothes to wear, money in their pockets, and an ideal and happy life can he realize his ambition.

Secondly, it is easier to understand from a realistic perspective.

As that saying goes, the first worry of all those in power in a country is the security of their regime.

The people in your country don't have enough to eat, don't have enough clothes to wear, and don't have money in their pockets. They live like hell.

What if they rebel and overthrow your regime?

Therefore, whether it is for his own ideals or to protect his own power, Zhao Jun must put the people first.

Now that the development of the Song Dynasty is on the right track, many problems will definitely arise in this process, so Zhao Jun needs to go to the people all the time to find out where the problems are.

In November of the eighth year of Qingli in the Song Dynasty, the end of the year has come, and all parts of the country are still in full swing.

Roads and infrastructure are being built everywhere.

With the listing of silver coins of consistent value and cotton notes worth five, ten, and twenty guans, the domestic economy became more prosperous.

In the commercial street of Bianliang City, people no longer need to carry a big baggage when they go out to trade. They may even use a carriage to load large boxes and carry copper coins weighing dozens of kilograms to trade.

After all, money weighs three to four kilograms. If you go out to do business with others with twenty kilograms of money, it is equivalent to carrying sixty or seventy kilograms of stuff. It is really too much exercise for your body.

As the central city of the Song Dynasty, Kaifeng was also the city with the most developed transportation. Commodities from all over the world gathered here, creating huge commerce.

The population movement is increasing. Kaifeng Prefecture has registered the foreign population and has determined that the population of Bianliang now exceeds three million.

Although it cannot be compared with the population of 20 million in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in later generations, you must know that this was during the Song Dynasty a thousand years ago, when there were only a handful of cities with a population of one million in the world.

At the same time, only Baghdad, the capital of the Arab Empire, and Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, could reach this level.

On the other hand, Kaifeng has more than one million, which is three times that of Baghdad and Constantinople!

On November 26th, approaching the twelfth lunar month, Bianliang was not depressed, but became busier. Lanterns were hung everywhere in the streets and alleys, and the festive colors were strong.

In the evening, Zhao Jun and Fan Zhongyan came home from get off work together.

Normally, when Zhao Jun goes home, he arrives right out of Xihua Gate, while Fan Zhongyan has to walk north along Qishengyuan Street to Liangmenli Street, and then westward out of Liangmen to the outer city.

So under normal circumstances, everyone left the Xihua Gate, Zhao Jun walked back to his home, and Fan Zhongyan took a sedan to say goodbye to him under the protection of the guards.

But today, the two of them took off their noble purple robes, put on two pairs of regular clothes, and walked on the streets in the west of the city.

At this time, after they came out of Xihua Gate, they went directly to Qishengyuan Street.

Originally, to get here, you need to exit from Xihuamen, follow Xihuamen Street, and pass by Xijiaolou Street.

But now Xijiaolou Street has been included in the scope of the palace. Outside the palace is the Qishengyuan Street that stands from the north to the south. The palace wall has been built, made of reinforced concrete and glazed tiles.

Groups of soldiers patrolled along the roots of the imperial city and saw Zhao Jun and Fan Zhongyan coming out. When they saw them walking out of the palace gate without official uniforms, they wanted to go up and question them out of duty.

As a result, dozens more people in regular uniforms came out from behind them. The leader showed the palace card, and the soldiers left.

"You have a wife and children, and I also have a wife and children. If you don't go home after work, you have to drag me shopping."

Fan Zhongyan shook his head and said, "You really have nothing to do."

"How can you say you have nothing to do?"

Zhao Jun smiled and said: "This is called a private visit incognito, to understand the public sentiment. I am not telling you, Lao Fan, that you should go out and walk around more."

"Aren't you walking with me?"

Fan Zhongyan waved his hand in the distance, signaling the coachman who picked him up at the door to go back.

The prime ministers' coachmen have to wait for a day, and it is difficult to leave too far away. It is also very hard to keep an eye on them at all times to prevent them from getting into trouble when they leave the palace temporarily.

Zhao Jun stood shoulder to shoulder with him. After the guards around him changed into their regular uniforms, they quickly blended into the crowd and followed them as if they were there.

They raised their heads and looked at Xihuamen Street. At this time, the street had not changed much from more than ten years ago. It was still a wooden structure with rows of houses arranged in the distance.

Although the industrial age has arrived, urban changes often require the government to play a constructive role, otherwise it is obviously unrealistic to rely on residents to improve their living conditions.

Just like Japan had completed its industrial reform during World War II, the main buildings in Tokyo were still low wooden bungalows, giving Li Mei an excellent opportunity for barbecue.

The Song Dynasty is very wealthy at this time, and its fiscal revenue this year may exceed 200 million. However, if the entire inner city and outer city of Kaifeng are to be renovated, the demolition costs will be sky-high.

The most intuitive thing is that there are more than 40 markets in the inner city. Even an ordinary two-story house of more than 100 square meters in the outermost Jingfu Fang is priced at more than 10,000 yuan. The closer to the palace, the more expensive the price.

There are more than 100 such houses in each market. For example, "Along the River During Qingming Festival" depicts the scene of Qingming Square in Kaifeng in the Northern Song Dynasty. There are 122 houses of various styles.

Even if other land is not included, if only houses and buildings are to be demolished, if a city in the inner city is to be demolished, the demolition fee that the court needs to compensate the people will need to be more than 1 to 2 million yuan.

If you include other inner-city vegetable plots, shanties, luxury houses, and high-value houses near the imperial city, the compensation of more than 40 square meters is simply unimaginable.

It is roughly estimated that the demolition money plus construction costs to transform the entire inner city from wooden houses would cost the Song Dynasty's annual fiscal revenue, which is almost 200 million yuan.

Therefore, we can only proceed step by step, first spending money to expand the palace, and then renovating city after city. We dare not get it right in one step.

The snow has stopped in late November, and the streets are clean. Except for the slight haze due to continuous cloudy days and little sunshine, it can't stop people's enthusiasm.

The streets were lined with lanterns and crowded with people. There was an endless stream of pedestrians coming and going in the West Market, and there were even many foreign faces, such as merchants from the Middle East.

"Candied haws on a stick, delicious candied haws on a stick."

"Grilled tofu, fragrant and tender grilled tofu, only costs three cents a piece."

"Potato seeds, potatoes just out of the oven, so fresh."

The shouting sound spread in all directions.

Zhao Jun and Fan Zhongyan walked among the crowd, watching as they walked.

"How long has it been since you walked around the streets like this?"

Zhao Jun asked.

Fan Zhongyan frowned slightly when he heard what he said, and then said, "Maybe it's been a year or two."

"Me too."

Zhao Jun raised his head and looked into the distance and said: "I feel like I am very busy every day, busy with national affairs and dealing with external enemies. I have no time to spend time with my wife and children, and no time to focus on people's livelihood. Now that Xixia has been destroyed and the Liao Kingdom is about to collapse, don’t you feel that you feel more relaxed all of a sudden?”

"That's true, so you plan to take a good rest?"

Fan Zhongyan asked back.

"no."

Zhao Jun raised his head and looked at the bustling street.

It was getting dark, and the lights of thousands of houses began to light up. Children were running in the streets and alleys. Women came back with clothes washed from the river and were preparing to cook dinner. A faint smell of honeycomb coal wafted over.

He said: "It's time to pay attention to people's livelihood and take a walk around Kaifeng. Kaifeng is the center of the country. If there are problems here, then there are still many problems across the country."

Fan Zhongyan understood what he meant and said with a wry smile: "If it weren't for my old bones that can't stand the torment, I would also like to travel around the world with you."

"Let's go."

Zhao Jun smiled and blended into the night.

After exiting the inner city from Liangmen, the order in the outer city is still pretty good.

Except for the occasional street fights, collisions and quarrels, or shrews beating each other up.

These are common things in the market, and there are Kaifeng government officials on duty in every street to coordinate.

The blocks are row upon row and well organized.

Kaifeng City is so big that Zhao Jun and Fan Zhongyan couldn't walk all the way in one day, so they just visited the West Market today.

I glanced at the scenery of Yicheng Tower and Fanglin Garden from a distance. The buildings were full of red sleeves and colorful ribbons flying.

In addition to basic businesses, Waichengfang City also has a large number of residential areas. Briquettes are used outside every door, and it is common to see several families renting a house together.

The water used is well water, which is sometimes very inconvenient for washing and cooking.

Zhao Jun saw all this and kept it in his heart.

The two of them were walking and chatting when Fan Zhongyan suddenly said: "What did you do when you sent an official document to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this morning?"

While observing the situation among the people, Zhao Jun said casually: "Let people know that the Xizhou Uighurs and the Black Khan Kingdom have surrendered and bowed their heads to the Song Dynasty."

"Will people agree?"

"This is to be courteous before fighting, to be a king at home and a hegemon outside. Sometimes the behavior of a big country needs to be like this in order to show its majesty."

"Well, that's what I think. When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent envoys to the Western Regions, they colluded with the Xiongnu and even killed the envoys of the Han Dynasty, so Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty conquered Dayuan."

Fan Zhongyan nodded and said: "Tang Taizong attacked the Turks, but the Gaochang Kingdom intersected with the Turks and resisted the Tang Dynasty. So the Tang army destroyed the city and destroyed the country and captured the Western Region. We can give them a chance."

As he said that, he turned around and noticed that Zhao Jun was staring at the courtyard. There were several girls squatting by the well washing clothes. Fan Zhongyang said angrily: "You are already in your thirties."

"Old Fan, what are you thinking about?"

Zhao Jun rolled his eyes at him and said, "People with dirty thoughts will only have dirty minds."

"Then tell me what you are thinking?"

“I was thinking how inconvenient it would be for them to get water from the well.”

"inconvenient?"

Fan Zhongyan turned his head and saw that every time the girls used water, they had to struggle to turn the wheel from the well to come up.

Sometimes, if you don't have enough strength, you may even fall directly, and you have to pump the hard-fought water again.

"It's indeed a bit inconvenient, but there's nothing we can do about it."

Fan Zhongyan said: "Many cities and towns are far away from the river, making it even more inconvenient to go there, and the water in the river is far from clean."

In addition to the four canals in Kaifeng, there are many underground rivers.

In the past, the underground river was also unclean. Later, after the underground forces were eradicated, Kaifeng Mansion sealed those underground entrances with steel doors.

Since there is no dirt hidden underground, the water quality has improved and it has become the main source of domestic water in the city.

However, Kaifeng Prefecture has repeatedly publicized that water must be boiled for drinking to reduce the spread of diseases.

But even so, it is still very inconvenient for people to get water.

You must know that this is a city with a population of more than three million, and it produces countless amounts of water and garbage every day.

Big problems can arise if not managed properly.

“It’s time to lay the pipes.”

Zhao Jun said: "Now that steel production has increased, the underground system should be comprehensively improved. The Kaifeng government should set up a department to conduct an assessment of Kaifeng's underground. Then within the next few years, all sewers should be made of cement and steel bars. Reinforce it and lay it with steel pipes so that water can enter every household through steel pipes.”

"You mean, tap water?"

Fan Zhongyan opened his eyes wide.

"Do I have this ability?"

Zhao Jun rolled his eyes at him again and said: "Every household is connected to water. How can we do it without plastic pipes? How much does a steel pipe cost?"

"That is?"

"It's a water pump!"

"pump?"

Fan Zhongyan wondered: "What is that?"

"A water-drawing tool commonly used by rural people when I was a child."

Zhao Jun thought of his childhood.

Although the post-00s era is changing with each passing day, many things experienced by the post-80s and post-90s generations have slowly dissipated.

But he is the first generation born in 2000, so he can naturally remember some things.

The water pump in my memory is like a pot. Before using it, you have to pour some water into it, and then shake the handle up and down, and a steady stream of water will come out.

I didn't know the principle before, but I thought it was fun. I often used the water pump as a toy.

It wasn't until later that the village wanted to tear down all these things and replace them with running water. He watched the adults remove the cement platform and take out the water pump, and then he learned about its structure.

The structure is very simple, with some rubber pads, steel rings and other things inside. Now that I think about it, it should be related to air tightness and atmospheric pressure.

Now that we have rubber, it is probably not difficult to make this thing, at least it is much better than a water well.

"Anyway, if this thing is made, it will greatly improve people's water difficulties."

Zhao Jun shook his head, put his hands behind his back, slowly walked out of Luo Chengmen, stepped onto the road outside the city and said: "The burden of people's livelihood is on our shoulders. We still have to observe and consider it all the time."

"Um."

Fan Zhongyan nodded.

The two of them continued walking outside and walked around the outside of Xicheng.

They saw that the security here was much worse than in the city. There were fights, petty thefts, and even robberies on the street.

Zhao Jun did not get angry and call Bao Zheng to point at his nose and scold him, but just watched from a distance.

He kept all these questions in mind and thought about them one by one.

People's livelihood not only means that people can live in houses, have enough to eat, drink water, and afford clothes, but also need to ensure their safety and property.

People cannot live in fear.

Now the Song Dynasty is not afraid of any external challenges.

But sometimes, the bad guys are not just on the outside, there are also unknown bad guys on the inside.

To eradicate unreality, those in power must find ways to reduce this phenomenon.

People's livelihood is greater than heaven.